Candy, Cigarettes, and Murder

Chocolate Martini Sisters Mystery, #1

by

Joyce Proell and Brenda Whiteside

A planned sisters’ spa weekend at an upscale hotel results in murder instead.

Candy, Cigarettes, and Murder is the debut novel in authors Joyce Proell’s and Brenda Whiteside’s new Chocolate Martini Sisters Mystery cozy mystery series. I was hooked from the start. The engaging sisters, mature women of ‘a certain age,’ are the titular sleuths with an affinity for the chocolate martinis served up by a particular bartender at the Dulce Hotel’s Azul Restaurant and Bar, and they are a delightful pair of opposites. When a planned sisters’ spa weekend turns deadly, two sisters work together to find a killer! 

I liked the sisters’ tradition of spending a spa-filled, chocolate martini-drenched weekend together at the local Dulce Hotel, catching up and celebrating each other’s birthdays. Emma, a recent widow, is more conservative, reserved, and introverted, while Nicole is a twice-divorced extrovert with a more colorful and outgoing temperament. The sisters are quite relatable. It is not a completely stress-free weekend for the pair. Em is finding it hard to relax; this is her first birthday without her spouse, and since her loss, she worries more about something happening to her son, Liam, who is on a hiking trip with friends. Nic has her own issues to deal with as well. Her ex-husband and the father of her only child is staying at the same hotel with his latest young girlfriend. The normally tranquil hotel is overrun with artists participating in the local arts festival the same weekend, with a juried competition in the lobby. Not to mention, the sisters keep discovering murder victims to add to the chaos. 

The murders are simply done, yet stymie both the police and the sisters. The women, as frequent visitors and long-time guests at the hotel, boldly question anyone and everyone for information. There are numerous suspects, and the sisters build plausible scenarios and possible motives for each one before doggedly pursuing their hypotheses and crossing them off their list while the police conduct their official investigation. And although the two detectives are likable guys, I rooted for Em and Nic to solve the case first. 

With its fun opening premise, likable and engaging characters, attractive hotel setting, and puzzling murder mystery, I recommend CANDY, CIGARETTES, AND MURDER to cozy mystery readers who enjoy a more mature, relatable set of sleuths and a small-town Arizona setting. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.